Right now, Volvo Penta
is the leader in the marine telematics field with SeaKey, a system with
origins in trucks, cars, and heavy-duty construction equipment. SeaKey
is comprised of a dashboard control panel, low-battery and high-water
sensors, and an integrated satellite transceiver/antenna black box designed
for installation below decks and out of sight. (Thieves can't
identify and disable the system via an exterior antenna.) It offers
a whole raft of features, although those that address the issue of boating
safety seem most significant to me.

Consider seagoing
emergencies for a moment. At present-- except for flares, mirrors,
other conventional signaling techniques, and if you're lucky,
cellphones--a boater in serious distress, even in a coastwise situation,
has just one communication option: to make an SOS call on his/her radio,
an arguably complicated procedure under stressful conditions and in
most cases subject to the limitations and vagaries of line-of-sight
VHF radio transmission. SeaKey both simplifies and adds certainty to
the procedure. By merely lifting a covering device that guards against
inadvertent signaling and pushing a special SOS button underneath, a
SeaKey boater can automatically deploy an emergency signal via satellite
to Volvo Penta's Volvo Action Service (VAS) center in Greensboro,
North Carolina. The service is manned 24/7/365 with coordinators and
technicians who (after attempting to contact the boat via cellphone,
satphone, or VHF) will immediately relay the boat's position,
its identifying particulars, and the nature of the distress to the appropriate
authorities. The boater knows the signal has been received and prioritized
by looking for a green indicator light on the control panel. Thus what
used to be a long, uncertain, and somewhat involved process is reduced
to a short, push-button affair.

SeaKey's satellite-tracking
powers constitute a related feature that's almost as revolutionary
as the SOS function. Via continuous positionings from a built-in, onboard
GPS, the movements of a SeaKey vessel can be tracked on an electronic
chart from a home computer. No more wondering where Dad and the kids
are and why they're late or whether the boat moved during the
storm.

So-called GeoFencing
is an outgrowth of this nifty capability, using the GPS to alert VAS if
thieves move the family boat from its docking spot. Once an alert goes
out, either the owner or a designated authority is contacted. SeaKey will
also alert VAS if the boat begins to take on water or lose DC voltage
via the sensors mentioned earlier. Coordinators then carry out predetermined
instructions and/or contact the owner. And finally, in addition to a messaging
function that offers text-only communication with VAS, SeaKey makes it
possible to switch boat functions (like air conditioning and refrigeration)
on or off via an owner's cellphone, as well as provide concierge
services that offer everything from dockage info to weather reports.